Beekeeping

Interested in beekeeping?

Join our Beekeepers for an overview of urban beekeeping, including honey bee biology, best practices (such as native species advocacy), and modern-day challenges. 

📅 Date: Saturday, April 5th, 2025 
🕒 Time: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm 
📍 Location: Watershed Art & Ecology (1821 S Racine Ave, Chicago, IL 60608)

Those who complete 101 are eligible to continue to our limited access beekeeping 102, our hands-on beekeeping and honey harvest at El Paseo Community Garden. 

An invitation to apply for Beekeeping 102 will be shared upon completion of 101.

Register Here

Beekeeping 102: Bi-weekly (June-October) 1-1.5 hour hands-on apprenticeship sessions. Learn the ins and outs of basic hive management throughout the season. 

Prerequisites: El Paseo Beekeeping 101 or similar course. 

Hosted at El Paseo every other Sunday at 2:30.

Beekeeping 101

  • 1d Beekeeping Course in-person
  • Bee Biology Basics
  • Beekeeping Basics 
  • Varroa Mite Management & Treatments 
  • Swarm Prevention Methods   
  • Winter preparation

Beekeeping 102: Hands-on experience/ Practicum

  • Hive assembly
  • Install a bee package (dependent on the state of hives at start of the season)
  • Basic manual inspection tasks
  • Spot the queen and eggs
  • Identify cells, bees, pollen
  • Assess colony health
  • Pest and disease identification
  • Pest Treatments
  • Split a colony
  • Swarm prevention techniques
  • Feed hive with sugar syrup and pollen patties
  • Honey harvest
  • Winter Care